


In The Shadow Of The Bat

by meyari



Category: DCU - Comicverse
Genre: Abandonment, Alternate Universe - Slavery, Anger, Dom/sub, Injury, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-03
Updated: 2011-10-03
Packaged: 2017-10-24 07:09:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/260505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meyari/pseuds/meyari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The secret sale of Bruce Wayne's slave Jason Todd to Slade Wilson set off a series of events that changed everything for everyone who lived in the shadow of the Bat. Fortunately for them, Slade wasn't the man that they'd been trained to think he was.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In The Shadow Of The Bat

**Author's Note:**

> Slavefic with true slavery plus consensual slavery, light D/s, threesome, cold manipulative Batman in the style of Frank Miller, abandonment and rescue from it, serious injuries, rage issues but not much else besides Slade Wilson as a good guy.

"Damn it," Jason growled or at least he tried to growl the words.

It was almost impossible to breathe after the blow to the solar plexus that Master Slade had given him. He sure as hell couldn't move. The accompanying nerve strike had sent him to the floor into a shuddering bundle of uncontrollable limbs and damn near unbearable pain.

"You're stubborn," Master Slade said with just a hair of respect in his voice as he grabbed Jason's hair and wrenched his head up so that Jason couldn't do anything but meet the fucker's one good eye. "I'll grant you that. Not bright but very stubborn. Not that it's going to do you that much good. You're mine now so you might as well deal with it."

"Fuck you," Jason snarled.

Not a good idea. Jason knew it before he said the words but he'd rather die than submit to Master Bruce's enemy. An assassin like Slade wasn't anyone that Jason was going accept as a master. The beating that followed his stupid words was bad enough that Jason was sobbing by the end of it. To hell with being strong; he just wanted the pain to stop.

It was a huge relief when Master Slade stopped hitting him, even more than the other times he'd gotten beatings from his past masters. They'd hit indiscriminately. Master Slade seemed to know every single place on Jason's body that would cause screaming agony when he was hit.

"Kid, you really gotta learn to pick your battles with care," Master Slade said.

This time there was only a sick sort of exhaustion in his voice, as if he hated having to hurt Jason this way. Jason ignored him, at least until Master Slade scooped him up and carried him out of the room like a fucking baby.

He hadn't paid attention when he was brought into Master Slade's house. Jason had been too infuriated by having fallen into Master Slade's hands. The encounter outside of the courthouse should have been a normal exchange of insults but Master Slade had looked Jason over, nodded once and then knocked him out cold. When he woke up he was chained and they were already nearly to Master Slade's home. All Jason knew was that he had to hold out until Master Bruce came to get him back.

After that beating, Jason wasn't sure he could do it, especially since he was sure that Master Slade was going to take the beating to the next level. Instead of being taken to a basement torture room, he was carried into what seemed to be a very well equipped infirmary. As Jason sat there and tried to figure out what the hell was going on, every single one of his wounds was treated. Master Slade even used real pain meds and proper bandages.

Just when Jason was sure that things couldn't get any weirder, Master Slade took him to a cell that didn't seem much like a cell even with the bars on the single window, still carrying Jason because he hurt so much that he just couldn't fucking stand. The walls were wood the way a slave's cell should be, but the wood had been sanded smooth and polished until they gleamed. There was a bed with soft blankets and a nice thick pad. Even his bed back at Wayne Manor hadn't been that nice and Master Bruce was a really good Master.

"The hell?" Jason asked as Master Slade fucking _tucked him in._

"You got promise, kid," Master Slade said. "Rest. I'll come get you in the morning and we'll see what you can do when you're not stupid from anger and fear."

"M'not afraid," Jason complained.

Master Slade snorted and gave him a smirky damn look that said he saw straight through Jason. The next day dawned way too fucking early for Jason's preferences but Master Slade brought hot food and a simple tunic for Jason to wear so he couldn't complain too damn much. The tunic was made of good solid fabric that looked new, which was really odd. He hadn't had a new tunic ever, not even with Master Bruce.

Of course the nice things were immediately followed by another beating but Master Slade seemed to see it more as training than anything else. He kept talking about Jason's 'potential', how he could be so much more than just a cheap slave that Bruce had bought on a whim. The weird part was that Slade showed him how to block blows if Jason got hit, took it slow and steady and really taught him the moves.

"Hate you," Jason said a few days later, more because he hated how Master Slade was confusing him than anything else.

"Yeah, I know, kid," Slade said with that damned smirk again. "Don't much care if you hate me or not.

Days turned into a week and then two weeks. There was no sign of Master Bruce or anyone else from Wayne Manor. Jason had sort of hoped deep inside that someone would care that he was in Slade Wilson's hands but it didn't look like they did. It fucking tore him up inside but not as bad as the realization that he was happier with Master Slade than he'd ever been with Master Bruce.

Master Slade understood the anger that burned inside of Jason. He shaped it and channeled it, taught Jason how to use it instead of leaving him to flounder as he tried unsuccessfully to 'master it' and find some sort of mystic calm that didn't fucking exist. Jason could use knives, was allowed to consider killing evil people instead of just beating them up. When Jason fucked up there were clear-cut consequences but when he did good Master Slade smiled at him and actually praised him, rewarded him with proud looks, better food, even hugs a few times.

"Never had much praise, did you kid?" Master Slade commented after the weeks had turned into a full month.

"No," Jason said. "Never."

He paused and looked at Master Slade with what was probably a way too fucking serious expression on his face. Master Slade looked back with one eyebrow raised as if he was actually curious about what was on Jason's mind. His gut had already come to the conclusion his mind was finally accepting. There was no going back to Master Bruce and Wayne Manor. This was his home now and damn if it wasn't better than his old home had been.

"Master."

Master Slade's eye widened and both eyebrows went up in surprise. The little smile that appeared a few seconds later was surprisingly pleased, as if he felt a little touched that Jason had finally acknowledged him as the master. It was sure as hell the first time he'd said it out loud.

"Come on, kid," Master Slade said. "Let's go get some lunch. I think Rose made some apple pie for dessert."

+++++

Six months.

Six months and Bruce hadn't done a damn thing to rescue Jason from Slade Wilson. Dick was sure that Bruce had a good reason for his refusal to act but Dick couldn't think what it could be. Slade had stolen Jason on the steps of the courthouse and everyone had stood by and let him. Granted, Slade was an assassin and no one wanted to challenge him but there was no reason for Bruce to leave him there. Bruce could have gotten Jason out. Batman could have done it.

Unfortunately, Bruce had flatly refused to discuss it, even refusing to say whether or not Jason was on a long-term mission of some sort. It didn't make sense that Jason would have been sent; his training just wasn't up to that sort of thing, not yet. Regardless of whether there was a mission or not, there was no way that Dick could let it continue this way. He had to do something to save his little brother.

It was probably crazy to think of Jason as his little brother but Dick did. Sure, Dick was a free ward of Bruce Wayne and Jason had been brought in as a slave, but Bruce had never differentiated between them. Jason had received the exact same treatment that Dick had, gotten the same training. They'd both joined in on Batman's mission, with Jason taking over the role of Robin after Dick moved onto the identity of Nightwing.

They were as different as night and day, Jason coarse and profane where Dick was respectful and polite. Despite their differences, Dick had come to love Jason. He'd been a wonderful addition to the family. No matter what anyone said, he was Dick's little brother in all but name. If there had been any possibility of legally freeing Jason, Dick knew that Bruce would have done it as soon as he brought Jason home.

Despite that, Bruce hadn't acted to save Jason from Slade so it was up to Dick to do it. Dick would do anything to keep his little brother safe, even kneel to Slade. It wasn't a legal enslavement, not in the eyes of the law, but Dick knew that Slade would take it that way no matter what the law said about it. Everything he'd seen of Slade in Bruce's files and in action told him that he could trust Slade to take full advantage of him once Dick submitted to him.

Walking into Slade's home and waiting in his entryway had been one of the hardest things Dick had ever done, at least until Slade walked in with Jason pacing just behind his right shoulder unrestrained and apparently perfectly happy to be there.

"What do you want, Grayson?" Slade demanded.

Words wouldn't come for a long moment, especially when Dick realized that Jason was glaring at him like he was an intruder in his home. Home. This wasn't the home that Jason belonged in and Dick knew it even if Jason apparently didn't anymore.

"I… "Dick hesitated and discarded his carefully planned series of lies. They wouldn't work in the face of Jason's obvious trust in Slade. "I left Bruce."

"And came here?" Slade asked with quite justified suspicion.

"My little brother's here," Dick said and let his eyes lock onto Jason who flushed with what looked like a mixture of embarrassment and pleasure. "The circus I came from is long gone. All I ever had was Bruce and Jason. So where else could I go…?"

He shrugged. What else could he say that wouldn't reveal what his real plans had been? Of course those plans would have to change now that it seemed that Jason actually liked being here. Slade frowned at Dick before turning to stare at Jason for a long moment. They seemed to have a silent conversation, the sort that Dick used to have with Bruce, would no longer have with Bruce. After a second Jason grumbled wordlessly and left the alone. His shoulders were entirely too tense as he walked away.

"Why are you here, for real this time?" Slade asked once they were alone.

"To save Jason," Dick said. "He's my little brother in all but name, Slade. I'll do anything to protect him and keep him safe."

"Anything," Slade said and the single word was not a question. It was a statement of brutal disbelief.

Dick walked over, stared into Slade's eye for a moment and then sank to his knees in front of the man. He kept his eyes firmly on Slade's feet, which didn't shift at all even as Slade's breath hitched from surprise. It took what felt like seven or eight years before Slade's hand settled on Dick's head, pulling his head back surprisingly gently so that Slade could see into his eyes. He was frowning at Dick with what looked like concern instead of avarice or anger.

"Seriously?"

"Yes… Master," Dick said and felt as though the collar was already locked around his neck.

+++++

"You're doing really well," Dick told Rose who beamed at him in delight. "Keep practicing those moves with Jason."

"I will," Rose said happily.

Jason rolled up from his place sitting along the wall in the training room to saunter over to face Rose. He still wasn't talking to Dick though in the last few hours he'd actually said more than six non-curse words to Dick. That was a huge improvement over the day that Dick had arrived. Dick was pretty sure that the paint in the room he'd been given had blistered from the ferocity of the curse words Jason had used that day.

Dick still wasn't sure how Slade had managed to get Jason to his side. Granted, the man was being deliberately opaque with Dick but he was warm and respectful to Jason and unfailingly kind to Rose. It was a strange contrast from what Dick had expected before he came here. He never would have expected that an assassin would be warmer and kinder than Bruce, even if Dick had yet to see that warmth directed at him.

"Dick," Slade said from the doorway.

"Yes Sir," Dick said, using the title that Slade had insisted on instead of 'Master'.

"Come with me."

Jason and Rose were busy sparring (gently) with each other so Dick followed him. They ended up in Slade's office, the one he used for actual paperwork and keeping track of his assassination business instead of the one he used for meeting with potential customers. That one was a showpiece full of impressive furniture, a desk with approximately an acre of space, and a display of highly impressive weapons. This one was obviously lived in and much more practical. Slade locked the door as they came in, his face entirely too serious for Dick's comfort.

"Bruce called," Slade said entirely too calmly for the heart attack he inspired in Dick. "He demanded that you come home."

"Let me guess, without Jason?" Dick said and the pain was enough to make him snarl when he'd decided not to be snippy or talk back with Slade at all.

"Without Jason," Slade confirmed. "You going?"

"No," Dick replied. "I… I won't leave him."

"He's not exactly unhappy here, you know," Slade commented while sitting in his battered old office chair. His eye was especially bright as he studied Dick. "Angry, broken by his life, but not unhappy."

"He was always angry," Dick sighed.

He hesitated for a moment and then knelt by Slade's feet. The intent look faded into something else that was much more possessive and demanding. Training Rose was a small price to play to be close to Jason again. It didn't really matter anymore that Jason didn't want Dick there. Leaving his little brother was absolutely out, no matter what threats he had to deal with. Dick wasn't sure what it said about him that the promise/threat in Slade's bright eye and confident smirk didn't seem like a threat at all.

"Come here," Slade said eventually.

The two words held a purr of dominance that Dick almost automatically responded to. Bruce had trained instant obedience into Dick, though he'd never used it for something like this. Slade pulled Dick up into his lap, sliding the shirt off so that he had access to Dick's body. He was considerably gentler than Dick expected, at least until he noticed that Dick responded much more strongly to firm touches than gentle ones and more strongly still to ones that verged on bruising.

Dick moaned when Slade pinched one of his nipples and twisted it cruelly. It felt so incredibly good even though his mind told him that he shouldn't like being hurt that way. His moan apparently told Slade everything that he needed to know because in the next moment Dick was twisted out of Slade's lap and slammed down on top of his desk with his pants abruptly shoved down around his ankles. Dick gasped at the feel of Slade's fingers probing him, silently blessing and cursing the fact that they had a bit of lube on them.

"Yes!" Dick moaned when Slade slowly, slowly, agonizingly slowly pushed into his body.

"Mmm, you've wanted this for years, haven't you?" Slade murmured as he claimed Dick's body and soul.

"Oh God," Dick whimpered. He shuddered as Slade picked up speed, pounding into him hard enough to make the desk rock and shift underneath Dick. "Yes! Yes, oh God, yes!"

The brutal sex was everything that Dick had always wanted and never been able to admit to. Dick wondered as he moaned and thrust back against Slade's hard thrusts if he'd been looking for someone to own him all this time. By the time Slade reached underneath to grasp Dick's erection he was already on the edge. Two quick strokes and a bite to his shoulder blade pushed Dick over the edge so hard that he screamed and went limp underneath Slade. That seemed to be enough to pull Slade over the edge with him.

"Damn," Slade murmured once he'd pulled out and then let Dick settle by his feet. "You were born for this, boy. Beautiful, sexy and born for this."

Dick blushed, wondering what it said about him that that seemed like the best praise he'd ever gotten. A moment later he realized that it was the first time he'd been openly praised for anything other than combat skills since he went to live with Bruce. Years. It had been years since anyone said anything so openly positive about him. Slade sighed when Dick buried his face in his lap to hide a sudden wave of tears from nowhere.

"It's okay, good boy," Slade whispered while petting Dick's hair and rubbing the back of his neck. "I've got you. It's okay."

+++++

Slade watched as Jason and Dick carefully negotiated the kitchen, acting as if the expansive space was a minefield and any step could be their last. Jason deliberately kept enough space between him and Dick that Dick couldn't touch while Dick watched him as if he was dying to have a hug. Given how prickly Jason had been about Dick's addition to the household it might get Dick knifed. While Slade had major issues with arming Dick, he'd given Jason his choice of the knives in the house months ago.

For her part, Rose watched from her place in front of the stove with a little amused smile that was practically like looking in a mirror. Every time she smiled that way it let Slade easily see that she was his daughter. She didn't say a thing about Dick and Jason, even though she was obviously laughing inside. Their careful dance around the love they wouldn't acknowledge was amusing, Slade had to admit that.

They were total opposites. Jason would never be a good slave and Dick couldn't be anything else. Every order was a challenge to Jason, something to be fought as though his life depended on not following it. Dick seemed to crave orders, to need the structure and discipline that came from giving control of his life to someone else.

He could easily understand why Bruce had sold Jason, not that he seemed to have admitted it to Dick. Jason would never follow orders, never be the good soldier that Bruce appeared to need so badly. Dick was the perfect follower, the boy who needed the orders that Bruce was so good at giving. Bruce apparently insisted on the same behavior from everyone around him and Jason was doomed to fail from the very beginning. Yeah, it was no surprise that Bruce had sold Jason to Slade.

Of course, selling Jason also let Bruce avoid the issue that Slade knew he was going to have to deal with sometime soon: Jason was head over heels in love with Dick even though Dick seemed to be completely oblivious to Jason's real feelings.

While Dick saw Jason as his little brother, there was no answering brotherly feeling coming from Jason. Slade could see the pure hunger in Jason's eyes every time he saw Dick. Jason did his best to hide it but it took a special level of obliviousness to miss it. Slade had seen it within moments after Dick arrived. Rose had seen and commented on it the next day.

They ate dinner in silence, Jason grumbling as he knelt on the floor with his meal and Dick looking almost happy to be kneeling at Slade's side with his plate of food. To his relief, Rose had accepted Dick's need to submit easily. She seemed sorry for Jason's slavery and never treated him like a slave. If anything she treated him as if he was free and her brother, which Jason seemed to find very nice. He was so ferociously protective of Rose that Slade was thinking about assigning him as Rose's bodyguard when they had to go out in public. Once dinner was over and the dishes had been washed up, Slade jerked his chin at Jason.

"Come on, kiddo," Slade said. "Dick, I'll want you in a few minutes. Give us five or so."

"Yes Sir," Dick said.

He went back to helping Rose dry the dishes and put them away without a single question. Nothing but questions hung in Jason's eyes. Slade didn't answer the questions. It wasn't time yet for that, not while they were where Dick and Rose could overhear. He just led Jason off to the real office so that they could talk before Dick showed up.

"What's up?" Jason asked once they were private.

"You want him," Slade said and made sure that it was as far from a question as was possible without pinning Jason to the wall and holding a knife to his throat. Hopefully he wouldn't have to force it out of Jason. The kid trusted him more lately.

Jason squirmed for a moment but caved pretty quickly which said a lot about how he felt about Dick. "Yeah. Doesn't fucking matter, does it? He's yours now."

"Yeah, just as much as you are, which isn't saying much," Slade snorted. "Maybe way more. He doesn't get it. That's why you were sold, you know. You were tempting Wayne's precious golden boy away from the straight and narrow."

Jason stared at him, jaw dropped open in shock that should have been funny but which was actually kind of sad. The kid really hadn't realized that was why he'd been sold away from the Manor. Of course, Slade hadn't been sure about it until Dick showed up and he'd seen the way they looked at each other so that wasn't too much of a surprise. Slade sighed and rubbed his face for a moment.

"He needs more than I can give him alone," Slade told Jason. "Dick's starved for love, kiddo. Your ex-master's issues did some pretty serious damage to the boy."

"Are… are you offering me a chance at him?" Jason asked.

His voice came out squeaky and as young as he actually was instead of the deep growl it normally was. Slade snorted and nodded yes. It was probably insanity but Dick needed it and sure as hell Jason needed it. Letting the two of them at each other to burn off some of the sexual tension was certainly going to complicate things in their life but leaving things they way they were wasn't possible. Slade was no Bruce Wayne. No way in hell was he letting the boys suffer the way Bruce had. Jason jumped when the door opened and Dick came in a little earlier than Slade had expected.

"Got something different for you tonight, boy," Slade told Dick who looked a little nervous but not nearly as nervous as Jason. "I'm in the mood for a show today. You're going to suck Jason off and let him fuck you while I watch. Do a good enough job and I'll fuck your mouth while Jason takes your ass."

Both Jason and Dick went red. To his amusement, both of their cocks reacted strongly to the suggestion. Jason caught on to Dick's arousal much quicker but then he was looking up unlike Dick who promptly stared at Slade's feet. Slade waited until Dick peeked at Jason with a worried expression that disappeared into surprised arousal when he saw Jason's erection and the naked want in his eyes.

"Strip," Slade ordered.

Dick shuddered and then slowly stripped his clothes off. The only thing he left on was the silver jewelry collar that Slade had given him. As Dick sank to his knees in front of Jason, Slade settled into his chair to watch them. You'd never have believed that Jason was the slave, even with the sturdy leather collar wrapped around Jason's neck and the slave brand on his forehead. Dick was just too good at submitting for anyone to believe that he was free.

Yeah, Jason was anything but a perfect slave and Dick was anything but a proper free man. It didn't really matter to Slade. His little birds were what he wanted and over time he'd make them as strong as they should have been. Let Bruce growl and glower. Slade was better for the boys that Bruce would ever be.

+++++

"Oh my…"

Rose's shocked whisper made Slade, Dick and Jason turn to stare. She was watching the news and had one hand over her mouth. Slade strode over and then cursed at they replayed the image that had shocked his daughter so badly. Behind him Jason gasped and then cursed as well. Dick sank to his knees, staring at the image with betrayal on his face.

"He's so young," Rose said. "Why would he make such a young boy Robin? He has to be younger than me."

"Fucking asshole!" Jason snarled.

He stomped out of the room, probably heading to the training room to take his aggression out on the punching bag. Slade gestured for Dick to come closer. Dick scooted over and leaned against Slade's leg while staring at the screen. A brush of his fingers through Dick's hair had Dick choking back a betrayed sob.

"Why?" Dick asked as if he didn't expect to get an answer.

"He needs someone to follow him," Slade sighed. "Needs it as bad as you need this, Dick. He either found the kid or the kid found him. Bruce has always been good at drawing people in."

"Yeah," Dick sighed. "He always was good at that."

The next few weeks were hell. Jason spent most of his time in a rage at Bruce and the kid he called 'the Replacement'. It looked a hell of a lot like hatred but Slade was sure, after several brutal battles with Jason that ended with Jason panting and whimpering on the floor, that it was betrayal just like with Dick. That Bruce would so casually sell him and then replace him as Robin tore Jason's heart apart, not that Jason was going to admit it without having been beaten into the ground.

Dick wandered around the house like a puppy that had been kicked by his beloved master and had no idea why. That was harder for Slade to deal with than Jason's rage. Rage he could handle. It could be channeled, directed, turned into a weapon that you could use against your enemies. The loss and hurt that Dick harbored within him was harder for him to cope with but Rose seemed able to deal with it just fine.

She cuddled Dick, treating him like an overgrown kitten at times. Half the time when he went looking for one or the other he'd find Dick curled up at Rose's feet as she read. Her fingers would be slowly combing through Dick's hair and he'd just be sitting there, eyes shut. If Dick had been smiling, Slade would have been a bit happier about the whole thing. Instead, he always had that sad kicked-puppy look.

Still, it couldn't continue forever. Wintergreen and Slade did their best to figure out who the new Robin was. It wasn't as easy as Slade had expected. Bruce hadn't bought a new slave recently. There were no new adopted sons. In fact, there wasn't anyone the right age or appearance in Bruce's life. The only thing that gave him any clue of who the third Robin could be was the strange new alliance between Wayne and one Jack Drake.

Jack Drake was a fool and obviously a tool, both for his wife Janet and for Bruce. But Jack had a son, one Timothy, who was exactly the right build, coloring and age, though he was a little small for his actual age. Slade would have put him at twelve, not coming up on fourteen.

"Dick, Rose," Slade said and smiled grimly as Dick jumped and Rose calmly closed her book, "I need you. Formal office."

"Yes Father," Rose said.

She patted Dick's shoulder, encouraging him to stand. He rolled to his feet as if he hadn't spent probably the last hour or two kneeling for her. Along the way, Slade collected Jason who was helping Wintergreen hang the fourth new punching bag in the training room. None of them asked questions, Rose probably because she trusted that Slade would explain in his own good time and the boys because the damned Bat had trained them to never ask questions.

"There's a party tonight," Slade said, passing the invitation over to Rose. "We're going. Bruce will be there. I've every reason to believe that Robin will be there too, in his civilian identity."

"You figured out who he is?" Rose asked while studying the invitation. She nodded once and passed it on to Dick who stared at it blindly for a moment before giving it to Jason who held it like it was poisonous.

"Timothy Jackson Drake," Slade said. He pulled the invite out of Jason's hand before the kid could crumble it up. "Son of Jack and Janet Drake who have a new venture with Wayne Industries. He fits the profile perfectly. Not sure that his parents know what he's up to but I'm pretty sure that he's Robin. My only question is why and what sort of person he is."

Rose nodded slowly, rubbing her thumb over her bottom lip as she considered it. After a moment she smiled and pushed Dick over to lean against Slade's side. He couldn't help but smile as Dick curled against him as if Slade was exactly what he needed. She gestured to Jason who growled but stepped to her side.

"This is what we'll do," Rose said with just enough defiance in her eyes that Slade raised an eyebrow to her and smirked. She smirked right back so it was probably a good plan. "We'll all go. Jason is my bodyguard, specially trained by you because I'm such a sweet, innocent, harmless little thing."

That made both Jason and Dick burst out laughing, Jason in a bray of laughter that was totally justified by the bruises decorating his body and Dick in helpless little snickers into Slade's shoulder. He grinned at her and she put on the sweet-innocent look that made her look like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.

"Dick on the other hand," Rose said, still with the innocent look firmly in place, "goes as your lover. With the collar on and being clearly submissive to you. That will get Bruce focused on the two of you. While he's focused on you, Jason and I will go and feel Tim out. Jason needs leathers, preferably black with red trim, maybe that suit that Wintergreen made up a while back. I'll wear something frilly and pastel. Dick, we need to find you something appropriately… fabulous to wear."

"Well if it's fabulous then it'll be okay," Dick said, brightening up for the first time since the third Robin appeared on the streets. "Something sparkly?"

"Let's go figure it out," Rose said.

She took Dick's hand and led him out of the office, chattering about colors and satin and lace with Dick grinning and bouncing on his toes like a little boy. Jason stared after the two of them with an expression of total horror that Slade was pretty sure was mirrored on his face as well. They looked at each other and shuddered.

"I really hate the thought of what they'll come up with," Slade sighed.

"No kidding," Jason groaned. "Dick's got the worst taste ever."

"Rose isn't that bad," Slade said and pushed Jason towards the door too. He left the invite behind on the desk. "She'll restrain his impulses."

"You sure about that?" Jason asked dubiously.

Slade started to say yes, thought about it and then groaned. All Jason did was nod and shake his head as if it was inevitable that they'd spend the evening wincing every time they looked in Dick's direction. They probably would, or at least Jason would. Given that his task tonight was to bait the Bat, Slade couldn't allow himself the distraction.

"Let's get you into some nice tight leathers, kid," Slade said.

"You put a codpiece on me and I'll fucking break your jaw," Jason growled.

"You'll try, you mean," Slade said and laughed as he dodged Jason's half-hearted blow and then sent him flying down the hallway. "You got a long ways to go before you're ready to take me on, kid."

"Fuck," Jason complained as he rolled back to his feet. "One of these days."

"Keep thinking that, kid," Slade chuckled. "Keep thinking that."

+++++

It was something of a joy to put on her old frilly dress and smile at the people at the party as if she was sweet, innocent and so sheltered that she had no idea that her father was an assassin.

Rose supposed that it was an odd thing to take joy in but she had to admit that she was enjoying herself entirely too much. After spending her entire life trying to be as sweet and complaint as humanly possible in the hope that she'd find a family of her own, find her father (or more accurately his finding her) had been a huge relief. Slade Wilson didn't want a sweet little thing as a daughter.

He wanted Rose.

Rose who could at turns be giggly, violent, quiet, shout her opinions until the stubborn men in her life actually listened to her, or whatever she needed to be. With her father she had no need for the 'sweet, shy girl' mask that she'd worn for so long. She could simply be herself and Slade accepted it, helped her learn what she wanted, and protected her when she needed it. To her delight, she needed protection less and less every day.

Still, it was… fun… to put the sweet girl mask back on and make her way through the party with Jason at her back. So many of the other guests looked at her with covert pity, clearly feeling sorry for her that she was 'stuck' with a deadly, overprotective father like Slade.

That he was overprotective was quite obvious. Jason lurked behind her like a black-leather-clad demon ready to rip anyone who got too close apart. They hadn't chosen the black and red leathers, much to her dismay because the bright red codpiece on that suit would have been such a wonderful distraction to everyone else. Instead he was in solid black leather, the tunic long enough to hide his groin and the pants all but painted onto his body.

Rose's had Jason's leash looped around her wrist but that didn't seem to reassure anyone. Of course, it shouldn't. The slender strip of leather was so fragile that one gentle jerk would break it. She'd chosen it deliberately to send the clear implication that Jason had full freedom to act independently if he saw a threat to her safety or happiness.

The other guests at the party kept a healthy distance from her at all times.

"You're all alone," Rose observed to Timothy Drake once she slowly drifted her way across the party to the buffet. "No friends to keep you company?"

"Ah, no, I'm fine," Timothy said.

He eyed Jason with entirely too much knowledge. Bruce had clearly told Tim about Jason or maybe not. Across the room, Bruce was watching the three of them covertly while growling at Slade who had Dick in all his finery leaning on his arm. Dick's suit was truly fabulous, in all the ways that made people question his masculinity while presuming that he was as helpless and harmless as Rose. She'd managed to keep him from wearing every single color in existence, but he did have about half the colors of the rainbow somewhere on his person.

Every time Tim looked in Dick's direction it was with a desperate hunger that made Rose think that Dick was the real reason he'd become Robin.

"Oh," Rose replied with a tired little sigh. "I'm sorry. I was hoping…"

She made a little gesture with one hand as if to say that she'd been hoping to find someone nice to talk to. From the corner of her eyes she saw Tim's eyes narrow as if he was aware that she was acting but he didn't seem to mind the act. Tim smiled shyly, and ducked his head to look at her through his lashes. He must have been directed to try and get information from them, too.

"No, no, it's just that I don't have many friends," Tim said and they seemed to be a perfect match in their shy, quiet personas.

Rose grinned at him. He blinked and then laughed a nearly silent laugh at her. When he cocked his head a few degrees to the side it seemed to be a question if she wanted to continue the act. Rose giggled and looked at the food, blinking her eyes at him with just enough effect that the answer should be obviously yes.

"Is there anything good to eat?" Rose asked, just breathlessly enough for the people around them to think that she was a little overwhelmed by Tim's gentle flirting.

"Um, I think so," Tim said. For a moment his lips quivered as he fought a smile. "There are some very nice finger sandwiches. Would you like some?"

"Oh, nothing with meat," Rose said and shuddered for effect. "I simply couldn't eat anything with meat."

Tim's eyes danced with laughter, at least until Jason shuffled his feet and sighed as if he was about to die from the sheer cute happening in front of him. Rose giggled again and turned to pat Jason's arm fondly. He snorted and smiled at her, not acting in the slightest, which was probably not what Bruce or Tim expected.

"Sorry, this must be so boring for you," Rose said to Jason.

"I'm a slave, Mistress," Jason said with a philosophic shrug. "I'm used to boring things. Just keep your hands off of her, kid."

"Ah, of, of course," Tim stammered, staring at Jason with wide eyes.

He went up the buffet to gather little cucumber sandwiches, cheese balls and some dainty little cookies that looked like spun sugar. Rose smiled at him and then had to fight a smirk as Jason murmured under his breath to her.

"Having way too much fun," Jason said so low that no one else could have heard it.

"He's nice," Rose said in her best sweet innocent voice.

She batted her eyes at Jason as if she wanted desperately for him to let her flirt with the nice shy boy who was coming back with bits of fluff for food. Jason laughed and shook his head at her. He looked over at Slade who was watching the three of them with a little frown. Rose deliberately batted her eyes at him too, making her best hopeful expression for the crowd. After a second where Slade should have winced and carefully didn't, he nodded the okay to Jason who stepped back about half a pace so that Rose and Tim could have the illusion of privacy. Rose beamed at Slade who chuckled while running his fingers through Dick's hair.

"Thank you so much," Rose said to Tim who was having a similarly silent discussion with Bruce.

"Um, you're welcome," Tim said as he passed over the little plate of food.

They both blushed and jumped for effect as their fingers brushed against each other. Rose could hear people laughing around them about how adorable Tim and Rose were together. Neither of them was likely to learn much useful tonight but that hardly mattered.

For now she got to play the game with someone else who clearly understood the rules and enjoyed manipulating them for his own benefit just like she did. Rose suspected that tonight's little flirtation would lead to further opportunities to interact with Tim. That was what mattered.

Well, that and the sheer fun of getting to flirt with someone who understood that this was all a mask, just like the Robin domino was a mask. Rose nibbled her cucumber sandwich as Tim stammered in a perfectly calculated way to make everyone smile indulgently at them.

Yes, tonight might be a great deal more fun than she'd expected.

+++++

Seeing Bruce again was the most painful thing that Dick had ever gone through.

He'd never realized just how distant and cold Bruce was. But then he'd never really known Bruce, had he? No matter what clothes or mannerisms Bruce wore, it was the Bat looking out those blue eyes. Cold, distant, controlling; the Bat was seductive in his intensity. For years Dick had made himself believe that if he was just good enough the Bat would smile at him, praise him, treat him with the sort of warmth that he reserved for successful missions or Alfred's quiet ministrations.

It had never happened. Dick supposed that he'd never have given up hoping for that dream to come true. Going over to Slade's side, seeing what real warmth and support looked like, had been necessary before Dick could understand just how much he'd given up for Bruce.

Love, life, laughter. All of them had dimmed and eventually disappeared under the Bat's Mission. Sometimes Slade told Dick, usually after a really intense bondage and beating session, that he'd been abused. Dick had denied it at first but standing by Slade's side while Bruce glared at him as if he was at traitor, Dick thought that maybe Slade was right.

Why had he done those things for Bruce? Why had he given up so much of his childhood?

Saving people had been wonderful. Rescuing the innocent from criminals was still something that Dick wanted to do. Slade certainly hadn't stopped him. He'd provided a new suit, a new identity, plenty of training and equipment to ensure that Dick was safe when he went out on patrol. The sheer freedom of his identity as Renegade had shown him how badly he'd been constrained by Bruce's, the Bat's, demands.

"Cute," Bruce said of Rose and Tim's little flirtation on the far side of the room. He said it in Brucie's tones but the look was pure Bat disgust at the weakness they showed.

"Rose doesn't have many friends," Slade said, every inch the indulgent father. "It'd be nice for her to meet someone her own age. Seems like a good kid."

Bruce's eyes flitted to Dick's face and then back to Slade. No one was close enough to hear what they were saying but Bruce didn't drop his mask as Brucie, even though Dick could see how much he wanted to.

"You could always let her out more," Bruce suggested.

"Mmm, I could," Slade said while running his fingers through Dick's hair and making Dick shudder. "Just haven't met that many people I'd trust my little girl to."

Even with his eyes half-shut in pure physical pleasure Dick could see Bruce's eyes go hard and angry. The old litany of 'don't be weak', 'don't whine', and 'a good soldier doesn't need such things' ran through Dick's mind. Instead of obeying the Bat's voice in his head, Dick leaned into Slade's side and rubbed his cheek against Slade's hand.

He knew that the other guests at the party looked at him like he was the worst sort of whore. Every single person they'd talked to had looked at him, eyes zeroing in on the silver collar around his neck. The slaves looked at him like he was insane. Their masters and mistresses looked at him as if he was a tempting little morsel that they'd like to claim.

Bruce looked at the collar as if he thought that he should have put one around Dick's neck years ago.

Slade kept petting Dick's hair, massaging his neck possessively. Dick let himself drift away in the sheer physical joy of being touched, being loved, being publically owned. Bruce and Slade exchanged barbs for a while, neither of them saying openly all the things that they so clearly thought of each other.

"She seems like a nice girl," from Bruce meant "you should be training her harder".

"I just want my little girl to be happy," from Slade was really "you abused those boys and I'll be watching to see that you don't with your new little 'soldier'."

They sparred verbally for a while and then Slade slowly drifted across the party with Dick on his arm. It was almost amusing to see how everyone reacted. Getting to Rose's side told Dick everything he needed to know about his newest brother.

Tim stared at Dick with hungry hero-worship mostly hidden behind a shy innocent boy's expression. Something about that look made Dick wonder if he'd met Tim previously. He seemed entirely too aware of Dick for this to be their first meeting. The sheer attention that Tim gave to Dick made him think that Tim wanted to know so much more than he could ask with Bruce slowly strolling closer to the buffet.

"Oh," Tim said, staring towards the door with a vaguely dismayed expression. "I'm sorry. I have to go."

"Oh no, really?" Rose said and her expression of shy disappointment was spot-on perfect. "Already?"

"Yeah," Tim said. He looked honestly miserable about it. "My mom is looking for me. It must be time to go. I'm sorry. It was really nice to meet you, Rose."

"It was nice to meet you too, Tim," Rose said, dimpling adorably at him.

He ducked his head and looked through his lashes at her, for all the world overwhelmed by having a pretty girl smile at him. It was so cute that Dick wanted to hug them both but Tim slipped away with a quick apology, a 'nice to meet you' for Slade and Dick and then another apology that seemed to be automatic.

"He's so sweet," Rose said while watching Tim leave with his parents.

"Heh, well if you like him we can see if the two of you can meet up again sometime," Slade said in exactly the right indulgent father tone. "He does seem like a nice young man."

Dick could see Bruce's expression out of the corner of his eyes. It made worry coil in his gut like a snake getting ready to strike. Bruce looked almost murderous. The Bat was barely hidden by the little cup of punch Bruce sipped at.

They might have figured out who Robin was but Dick had to wonder exactly what that discovery was going to do to Tim. If he was right, the Bat was going to rear his dark head and make Tim's life much more difficult after this party.

+++++

It drove Jason absolutely nuts.

They'd figured out who Robin was, managed to engineer a friendship between him and Rose, but there wasn't a goddamn thing they could do to help the kid. Jason had hated that Tim was his replacement as Robin, had resented that anyone could replace him.

But he just couldn't stay mad at the kid.

After the party Robin disappeared from the streets for a few weeks. Their surveillance of Tim Drake showed that he was spending way more time training with Bruce. Jason thought that the kid probably had an absolute mint's worth of makeup supplies to hide all the bruises Bruce gave him. Once Robin was back on patrol Bruce pushed him into more and more dangerous missions, driving the kid as though he was Dick's age instead of so young he shouldn't be allowed out after dark.

Weeks turned into months. Robin joined the Titans briefly but big daddy Bat apparently didn't like his little Robin spending time with anyone else. Tim dropped out after only a couple of weeks, citing Gotham's (Batman's) need for him as the reason.

Things got worse for the kid after that, to the point that Dick pleaded with Slade to intervene and Jason destroyed three more punching bags (and then had to spend a solid week polishing the floors with a tiny little brush while Wintergreen stood over him and glared). Tim's mom was killed on some trip and his dad went into a coma for a long while. Tim's girlfriend sort of dumped him, though they still hung out a lot. Not too long after that, Tim's dad woke up, which should have made things better but only seemed to infuriate Bruce who demanded even more out of Tim.

Then Steph got killed by the fucking Black Mask, at which point Slade let Jason loose on the fucker. Killing him wasn't as easy as Jason could have hoped but it was damn satisfying once he finally managed to nail the bastard to a wall. Didn't do a goddamn thing to make Tim's life easier but at least the son of a bitch wasn't out there hurting people anymore. Unfortunately, Jason killed the wrong baddie. Captain Boomerang, stupid goddamned name, went after Jack for some stupid reason and then Tim was all alone, an orphan at the age of fifteen.

Bruce Wayne swept in and took Tim in, which made most of society coo about what a great guy he was.

Tim quit school; quit talking to his former friends, both normal and heroic. He lived and breathed the Mission to a degree that reminded Jason of the fucking evangelists that used to preach before you could get your free soup at the soup kitchen in Gotham. There was nothing else in his life but Robin and the goddamn Bat.

"Oh crap," Jason moaned six months later. He stared at the front page of the Gotham Gazette with sick horror.

"What?" Slade asked from his place at the stove. He was making omelets while Rose helped Dick pull the muffins from the oven.

"There's a new Robin."

Everyone stopped moving for a moment. Slade growled and squared his jaw as he continued watching his omelet. No surprise, Dick abandoned the oven to come and read over Jason's shoulder. The newest Robin looked to be about ten or eleven, which was just sick. There were some questions about the last Robin had gone but not many.

"Where's Tim?" Dick asked.

"I'll find him," Slade promised.

"I'm helping," Jason said and glared at Slade.

He just nodded agreement, even when Dick and Rose gave him the same glares. Tracking Tim down took a hell of a lot more than Jason expected. The kid had gone to ground in a serious way, hiding away in Gotham's worst neighborhoods. Rose took a hit in one battle that cost her an eye, not that it seemed to slow her down much. Dick was damned near frantic as the weeks went on without any sight of Timothy Jackson Drake.

In the end, Jason found him huddled in an alley on the lower eastside. The kid had apparently been jumped because his face was a bloody bruised mess and there were knives, no batarangs, in his thigh and side. Jason sighed and sauntered over to crouch down in front of him.

"You ready to try something different, kid?" Jason asked.

Tim stared at him, eyes glazed with pain and blood loss. "I wasn't… good enough. I have to, have to do better."

"No, you need to let me bandage those," Jason said a hell of a lot more gently. Kid looked like he was barely there mentally. "Got a safe place for you to come, get you healed up."

"Isn't anywhere safe," Tim whispered. The fingers holding pressure on his thigh wound slipped and blood began oozing again. "There isn't."

Jason sighed and turned on his comm. "Found him. He's injured."

"On my way," Slade replied through the comm.

Tim didn't fight as Jason bandaged his wounds, didn't fight when Jason carried him out of the crappy alley and settled him in the back of Slade's car with Dick on one side and Rose on the other. He didn't say a fucking word the entire time they drove home to Slade's place. All the kid did was sit there and shiver while Rose and Dick did their best to keep him warm and stable.

The little cell that had been Jason's when he first arrived was quiet when Slade tucked Tim in. Jason knew now why he'd been put there, just like Dick had and now Tim. There were monitors all over the place in the room, letting Slade see everything that happened inside. There'd been no chance that Jason would hurt himself and Dick had chosen this life but Jason thought that they really would need to make sure that Tim didn't hurt himself.

The kid looked broken inside.

As Wintergreen and Slade stitched up the sixteen cuts hidden under Tim's clothes and hooked up an IV with blood and antibiotics, Jason frowned down at him. Tim stared at the ceiling for a long while, eventually letting his eyes drift over to meet Jason's.

"What'd big daddy Bats do when the new kid showed up?" Jason asked.

Tim's breath caught and his eyes shut tight against a surge of pain that had nothing to do with the injuries on his body. "He fired me."

"The fuck?" Jason gasped.

"He fired me," Tim repeated, his voice a thin, wan thing that fucking hurt to hear. "Damian is his son. I was, he said that I was just a replacement, that I wasn't satisfactory. He took the suit away and made me leave. I didn't, didn't have anywhere to go. My father's company failed. Bruce bought it out when he took me in. I didn't have any money or a place to go. He, he said that, that I should leave. That I wasn't needed anymore. That I wasn't good enough. That Damian would be a better Robin than I would."

"And Alfie just let him do it?" Jason demanded, horrified that Tim had gone through that on top of everything else.

"Alfred," tears leaked out of Tim's eyes as his voice caught, "Alfred gave me the address of a friend and suggested that I go to him but the friend wasn't able to help. I didn't… know where to go."

Slade sighed and put his hand on Tim's shoulder, startling him into opening his eyes. "You've got a safe place here, kid. Rest. We'll get you patched up and then decide where to go from there."

"Don't even think of trying to leave," Jason snapped at Tim who quivered in the face of his anger. "You're like Dick and I, Timmy. You're another cast-off Robin. This is your home now. You try and run and I'll fucking hunt your ass down and drag you back by your ears!"

Tim stared at him, tears still leaking out of the corners of his eyes. After a moment he nodded. Jason relaxed a little. He sat next to Tim on the bed, determined to stay with the kid for a while. Nobody should go through what Tim had. Hell, even slaves were treated better than that.

+++++

Tim wasn't sure what to make of Slade Wilson.

Of course, he wasn't sure what to make of Rose, Wintergreen, Jason or Dick either. None of them acted in ways that he expected. They were all different in Slade's house than they ever were in public, no matter what role they happened to be playing.

Rose was snarky, brilliant and giggly by turns, playing a game of flirting with Tim as if she actually were shy but she also fought with Jason, Slade and Dick so viciously that it was obvious that she would be an assassin like her father someday.

Dick was positively overwhelming in his need to hug everyone and everything in sight. Once Tim healed up enough to hobble around Slade's house he found himself being nearly tackled for hugs every time he turned a corner. For whatever reason Dick seemed to think that hugs made everything better. He would rarely let go even when Tim struggled against him.

Jason was fiercely protective while being casually profane. He shoved Dick off whenever the hugs went long enough for Tim to feel trapped. No matter where Tim went, Jason was there, hovering like Tim's personal bodyguard even though Jason said he was anything but. To hear Jason tell it, he was simply worried about Tim but that didn't make sense. He was fine. Granted, Tim hadn't been good enough for Bruce but he was fine. He would be fine.

Wintergreen reminded Tim of Alfred in some ways while in others he was absolutely nothing like Alfred. The older man filled a similar role in Slade's household at times. Tim wanted to like Wintergreen but looking at him made his heart ache for Alfred's cooking, his dry phrasing, for all the million little things that Alfred did to make their lives better.

Bruce's life. Not Tim's. Not anymore.

But it was Slade that confused him the most. He'd expected a brutal assassin, a man with no conscience and no mercy. Bruce had spoken so many times about Slade, describing him in the worst terms possible. The man who quietly watched Tim drift around his house was nothing like that.

Slade was kind, gentle, wary of Tim's emotional state. He made sure Tim ate, bathed, slept. When Tim was strong enough to train again, Slade was there to spar against. His methods of training were oddly gentle compared to Bruce's but after a few weeks Tim realized that Slade was actually fairly harsh.

Bruce had been the brutal one.

So maybe it was Bruce that Tim didn't understand, couldn't wrap his mind around. He'd wanted to believe that he had been important to Bruce, that he'd done well as Robin. Tim had worked so hard and given up so much for the right to be Robin. Three months after Jason had found Tim bleeding out in an alleyway after Bruce had warned him off, Tim found himself drifting into Slade's private office.

"You look pissed, kid," Slade said. He set down his pen and turned to watch Tim.

"Do I?" Tim asked.

"Yeah."

Tim thought about it for a moment and realized that yes, the emotion burning in his chest was anger. "I guess I am angry." He rubbed his chest absently, trying to work out where the anger had come from.

"Bruce," Slade said.

"No," Tim said slowly as the anger burned more brightly within him. "Batman. There is no Bruce Wayne, not anymore."

"There a Tim Drake anymore?" Slade asked as if he was honestly curious.

Tim wasn't sure where the scream came from. It echoed through the small office and bounced off the walls. Slade was up and moving as Tim found himself flinging something, a chair, towards the windows. There was more screaming, someone shouting in rage, while Slade moved so fast, so very fast, in front of Tim. He kept Tim from grabbing things, warned Dick and Rose and Jason from entering the office. When Wintergreen offered a tranquilizer gun, Slade waved it away and just kept on blocking every move that Tim could make.

He got through once, ripping a ragged cut on Slade's cheek that bled down his neck. A second strike got through and Slade staggered as his knee tried to collapse. The rage was like a living animal inside of Tim, driving him on, driving him to strike and block, break things in Slade's office, then the hallway, and then finally in the training room where Slade drove him.

Knives and sticks. Fists and feet. One long memorable sequence of swords clanging off of each other that blurred in Tim's mind even as it happened. Through it all Slade stood in front of him, taking everything that Tim could dish out, nothing but compassion and patience in his eyes even though blood dripped down his side and face and Tim was still screaming at him.

Eventually the rage broke and sheer sorrow ripped through Tim. He dropped the knife and escrima stick he'd been using to try and beat Slade into the ground. His legs gave way but Slade was there to catch Tim.

"It's okay, kid," Slade murmured as Tim gasped for breath and sobbed into his blood-stained shirt. "It's okay."

"He threw me out!" Tim ground through the sobs and sorrow that was so deep he could barely move. "He threw me out like I was a piece of trash and I gave him everything!"

"I know, kid," Slade said and Tim could hear in Slade's voice that he really did know.

He knew. He knew the pain that Tim felt, the pain that Jason and Dick felt. While Bruce had only his mission, Slade had compassion enough left in his killer's soul to take care of the cast-off Robin's that Batman's Mission had consumed and spit out.

Tim let Slade hold him through the tears and into the exhaustion that followed like a black wave of despair.

+++++

 _"You will not take me from my father."_

 _"Don't intend to, kid."_

 _"… Then why are you here?"_

 _"Look, I know you think that big Daddy-Bats picked you above all the others but you're wrong."_

 _"…"_

 _"Heh, if looks could kill. Kid, seriously, when Bats finds someone else who's a better slave to the Mission, come find me. No judgments, no questions. You got a place to go."_

 _"He will never find someone else better than me. I am his heir."_

 _"You're a tool, kid."_

 _"… no, I'm not!"_

 _"…"_

 _"I'm not! He sees the value of my training and skills."_

 _"Sure kid. That's what the first Robin thought. And the second. And the third."_

 _"He would not… I am his son."_

 _"You think that really matters?"_

 _"…he would not…"_

 _"Kid, when the day comes, come find me. You got a home, even if you don't know it yet."_

 _"…I have no need of your charity, Deathstroke."_

 _"I know. I just make a habit of taking in all the broken little birds that the Bat leaves behind him. I'm not saying it'll be today or tomorrow but someday, when the day comes, you have a place to go."_

 _"I hear you but I will not need such things. I am my father's heir and I will never leave his side."_

Slade sighed as he looked at Damian, fourteen years old now and twice as defiant as he'd been on that rooftop three years ago. The fear was obvious in the kid's eyes, even with Dick hovering behind Slade's shoulder, all but vibrating from the need to hug Damian until he squirmed. Rose smirked at Damian, defiantly puffing her cigarette even though Slade had told her to take it outside. Tim and Jason stood shoulder to shoulder by the door to the kitchen, wearing nearly identical expressions of covert worry.

"Good to see you again, kid," Slade said as he sauntered over and put a hand on Damian's shoulder. "Let me show you around."

"…Thank you," Damian whispered as some of the hidden terror faded into a horrible sort of relief.

"No problem, kid," Slade said. "Now, don't pick on my daughter. She's an assassin and she'll hurt you. Watch out for Dick. He's going to hug you until you can't breathe…"

Slade let Damian follow him like a puppy while ignoring the need that was making Damian so uncomfortable. Another broken-winged Robin to patch up and train. Maybe someday soon Bruce would stop taking in kids and breaking them to his Mission but Slade doubted it. It didn't really matter. He'd be there to gather them all up and help them heal, no matter how many Robins there were.


End file.
